Bespoke Machine Parts: Plastic VS Metal

The plastics and polymers industry has gown prolifically over recent years, a trend that looks set to continue. Many varied factors have fuelled the growth but one factor in particular is the replacement of traditionally-metal parts and components with plastic equivalents. Plastic has many advantages as compared to metal and here are just some of them:

Weight. Plastic can weigh dramatically less than an equivalent amount of metal, translating to savings in many ways from lower transportation costs to faster, improved machine performance. A plastic part could easily weigh half of an equivalent part made from steel or one-sixth of an equivalent part made from steel

Chemical Resistance: Plastic parts are much less likely to be damaged by chemical attack and are completely resistant to the damaging effects of corrosion

Machinability: As plastic is much easier to cut and shape than metal, machining plastic parts is quicker and more efficient

Negates Need for Painting: Parts can be made directly from plastic of a particular colour, preventing the need for a secondary operation of painting as with metal parts

Complex Designs: All kinds of shapes and surface textures can be directly incorporated into the tooling used to manufacture plastic parts